There are fresh reports today that Sunderland are pursuing Blackburn Rovers striker Jordan Rhodes. Graeme Bailey of HITC reports that Sunderland are close to agreeing a £12-million fee for the Scottish International, with a few sweeteners added to the deal.
Despite interest from rivals Middlesbrough, it is believed that Sunderland are in pole position to land the striker, with Blackburn only willing to sell to a premier league club. It is thought that Sunderland are willing to offer some of their fringe players to Blackburn on loan to sweeten the deal, with Will Buckley attracting the most interest.
It remains to be seen whether a deal does materialise for the striker, with Sunderland having sold Connor Wickham, a younger and more experienced premier league striker, for less money earlier this summer. Michael Graham, a Sunderland Fan and footballing editor has played down the reports through his sources today, claiming that it is in fact just Rhodes’ agent trying to earn his client a move.
